Dragon Heart
by sllebswap
Summary: EiRin Fantasy/Medieval AU. It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dragon Heart

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3778

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

 **Verse:** Fantasy Medieval AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/05/17

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Truth to be told, Tsukasa Eishi had never actually aspired to become a knight. It just sort of happened.

That duty had been thrust upon him regardless of his opinion on the matter, from the moment he was born the sole heir to his family's vast, rich holdings. Knight training took up an entire decade and most of his youth. He was apprenticed to a family friend at the tender age of eight, when most noble born sons of the peerage were weaned from the apron strings of their doting mothers and set upon the path of harsh, rapid growth in order to become great men and lords.

Page. Squire. Knight. It was a rite of passage.

His journey was fraught with perils and challenges, but he had somehow not only managed to get by, but had also demonstrated considerable talents and capabilities as he grew from lad, to teen, and finally, a young man. For someone who admittedly did not possess the raging need to see war and conquest, his name and aptitude for tactics and strategical maneuverings preceded him in war rooms and battlefields alike. He was amongst some of the best and brightest of the young bloods, and his fair, beautiful appearance and quiet, detached demeanor did nothing to detract from his meteoric rise in popularity throughout the royal court. The ladies in waiting tittered and made eyes at him whenever he had to enter the palace to pay court to the King. One day, he would have to take one of these noblewomen to be his bride and have an heir with, and the whole cycle would renew again. It was his duty. His obligation.

…But late at nights, the twenty year old would oft be found pacing the castle parapets. Silently staring out at the endless expanse of the velvet skies spread out over his head. Gazing intently at the twinkling stars, entire galaxies infinities away. Wondering with dispassionate, restless discontent.

 _Is this it?_

* * *

One day, he was presented a unique mission. A quest unlike any other.

" _Sir Knight,"_ a hooded member of a clandestine Order in court quietly beckoned, appearing before him rather mysteriously, identity concealed behind a blank, eerie mien.

" _Have you ever slain a dragon before?"_

* * *

Once upon a time, back in the days of yore, it was said that dragons roamed the lands in great abundance. They were a devastating pestilence to the masses; vicious, foul, fire breathing beasts that rampaged and destroyed everything within their paths. For centuries, the common folk lived in fear of these wicked, sibilant creatures; their livelihoods, even their very existences themselves at the clawed and winged whims of the bestial, monstrous beings. Entire villages would be burned down, innumerous lives lost, in the span of a single attack launched by their terrible dragonic foes.

The people were at their wits' ends. Humanity was at stake. Desperation eventually gave rise to determination, the grim resolve and singlemindedness to do whatever it took to survive. So the humans started to rally together, to fight back, to wrench back control of their lives and their destinies in any way and form that they could.

If there was one thing that could be said about humans, it would be that they were an incredibly hardy, resilient species.

Over time and multiple generations, amongst this group evolved a select, specialized breed of people who were trained uniquely in the art of dragon slaying. They possessed immeasurable courage, wit, and strength of will, enabling them to overcome anything in their paths, to do the undoable. To defeat the undefeatable.

The brave. The chivalrous. The noble knights.

But these days, the tales of valiant knights vanquishing unconquerable dragons were only lingering stories told in roadside inns and taverns, half-forgotten epic poems sung by travelling troubadours in exchange for an eve's board and a warm meal. The last dragon was thought to be hunted to extinction hundreds of years ago, a decapitated head stuck unceremoniously on a spike, paraded through towns and past masses of cheering, relieved humans. These days, with no massive, magical, flame spouting lizards threatening their lives and properties, people simply reverted to what they had always been doing – they turned upon themselves, raising hell and ravaging distant lands in ways that were not dissimilar to what had once been done to them.

Only this time, they were both the oppressor, and the oppressed.

And the fearless knights paved the way down the bloody path of eternal glory and conquest.

* * *

It was out of a sense of curiosity and perhaps a desire to combat his rising cynicism and apathy that had prompted Eishi to accept this assignment.

He had probably been sent on a fool's errand for all he knew, but the White Knight had been getting incredibly restless and on edge cooped up in the castle and this had been a convenient excuse to get out of court duties for a while. He did not enjoy the social obligation that came with his family title and rank. The unnecessary attention and expectations that people heaped on him was a burden he had no choice but to carry – if he could, he would have preferred to retreat from it all, even if it meant that he would have to 'slay a dragon' to get that rare moment of respite.

Dragons no longer existed. Nobody had seen one alive in centuries, or if they had, nobody was saying a thing. Privately, Eishi thought that the insular, secretive sects and Orders of the Kingdom were filled with ranks of raving lunatics and so called 'soothsayers' who typically tried to fill the King's ears with superstitions and irrational beliefs. Usually, His Majesty was wise enough to ignore their ramblings, but this time, even he was taken by the mysterious allure and possible existence of the mythical beast.

It was believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality.

So, at the behest of the King, Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

* * *

Eishi did not know what he was expecting to find at the end of the directions that had been imparted to him by the Order, but the lush, tranquil forest in the middle of nowhere was not exactly it. Entirely untouched by the devastation of war and invasion, it was a world that seemed to be stuck in a precious bead of amber, perfectly preserved and untainted.

He felt very much like an intruder as he stepped into this strangely peaceful, enveloping realm. There was a distinctly _off_ feeling like he was not welcome here, that he did _not_ belong here, but he stubbornly persisted his course, following the map that had been presented to him for this quest that he had accepted. Unlike the usual ones where he had been tasked to take up command of an army and sent off to conquer large swathes of land in the name of the Kingdom, this time around, there was only him, and he did not mind the refreshing change at all.

Hence his current situation. In a land so remote, so distant in the far East, that he had not seen any signs of human life for the last couple of weeks. He had never ventured this far before in all of his travels, so this was something new, at least. The knight had been obliged to abandon his mount a few days ago when the terrain grew too rocky and perilous for the animal to traverse safely, so now he was on foot. Most of his armor had also been shed and left behind. It was treacherous enough scaling the mountainous, unexplored region even without wearing the cumbersome chainmail, which while invaluable and vital to his survival in the heat of battle, were more of a liability and a threat in these surroundings. So Eishi only took the bare necessities and moved on, living off the fat of the land as he continued his journey. He wondered for how long he would have to search this seemingly endless expanse of forest before reporting back.

Three days later, he stumbled upon the small cottage literally in the middle of nowhere.

It was not a decrepit, abandoned building. On the contrary, it was well maintained, cozy, and it exuded a pleasant, homey aura. It was practically luxurious accommodation for someone who had been camping out in the wilderness. There were obvious signs of human occupation here, but yet it was empty when he chanced upon the property. Perhaps the owner was out at the moment. Eishi hoped that they would return soon. He would like to make his enquiries to them, to see if they knew anything about the subject which he had come this far to find. Perhaps he would even be able to avail of the kindness of the homeowner, for an evening's room and board before continuing with his quest.

The white haired knight mentally committed the location of this place to memory, and while waiting, he went on to explore the surrounding areas. Green, towering coniferous trees filled his vision everywhere he turned, and he wandered around for a while, intending to hunt for a meal. There were hare and deer aplenty, as well as pheasants and other waterfowls that lived on this land - wild game that could easily be brought down by the crossbow he had brought with him. Broadswords and lances, while extremely effective in largescale warfare, were not so much as useful when it came to trapping prey, and so Eishi adapted. Tracing the tracks of what appeared to be a small herd of grazing deer that he had chanced upon earlier, he eventually came to a large clearing, and to the sight of a massive lake. The view was breathtakingly spectacular; the waters were clear and so still that it perfectly reflected the magnificent backdrop of the craggy, snowcapped mountain range far off in the distance.

There was a woman there, in the lake as well.

Waist deep in the water, turned away from him, the wild, burning _fire_ of her hair tumbling down her slender back stood in stark contrast with the cream of her skin.

She was also entirely naked, he realized belatedly.

He _stared_ , too surprised by the unexpected sight to avert his gaze immediately, as was the proper thing to do. He must have started too, because the snap of the twigs beneath his feet alerted the maiden to his presence, and she _turned_.

Their eyes met, slit pupiled gold clashing with startled pale lavender.

Eishi sucked in a deep breath. He had never seen eyes like that before.

And the woman. She was heart-stoppingly, searingly _beautiful_. Something stirred deep within him at the sight of her, like an ember bursting to life, like something _wrenching_ sharply back into place. His mouth parted, as if about to speak. Distracted, he took a step forward. Before he could say a word, her eyes widened, and she called out in sharp warning.

"Look out!"

The trap triggered.

The ground gave way beneath him, there was a piercing, excruciating moment of pain…and then he knew no more.

* * *

When he came to, he found himself back in that cottage again, and that girl… _woman_ was there as well. She had not noticed that he had silently woken, and had been tending to something at the hearth, where a pot was hanging over a robust fire. Judging by the savory smell permeating through the air, it seemed like she was cooking some sort of soup or stew. He took advantage of the situation to take stock of himself, wincing in blatant discomfort when he so much as tried to lift his head. He felt like he had been hit by a battering ram. His upper torso had been laid bare but his middle was swathed in bandages, and he could see that some parts of the dressing were lightly tinged pink with blood. His ribs did not feel broken however, but seemed quite sore. His arms appeared fine as well if only covered in some scratches, but when he tried to move his legs, the right one immediately sent a sharp, spike of agony racing through his overwhelmed senses, and he hissed in response, automatically reaching down to clutch at the broken limb.

The sound he made alerted the other occupant in the room to his revived condition, and she turned to look at him. Meeting her glowing gaze for the second time still sent that same dizzying, wheezing _jolt_ shooting straight through his chest…but perhaps his reaction was due to his injuries, he attempted to reason logically to himself. She was also dressed this time, in a plain, simple woolen frock that did not quite touch the floor – the hem flirted rather scandalously with the pale curves of her unstocking-ed calves...and she was also barefoot. He stared.

She wandered over to where he was resting on a bed, then. As she moved, her hair rippled down her back in glossy wine red waves that turned blood crimson against the flickering backlight of the hearth fire, but that only served to accentuate that strangely wild, exotic appeal that she seemed to possess. He felt strangely restless beneath her catlike stare, as if she could see right through him…but of course that was impossible. And ridiculous.

He tried to sit up all the same, only to flinch when that same throbbing pain forced him to stop. She finally spoke, her words blunt and matter of fact.

"Stop moving around. It took me forever to splint your leg. If you ruin it I'm kicking you right out and you may take your chances in the wild." She stood with her arms akimbo, her head tilted as she considered him some more, this time with a bemused curiosity visible on her face. "What kind of moron decides to walk straight into a boar pit, anyway? You're lucky to be alive. You missed most of the spikes and the only one that got you just grazed your side."

Right. He was starting to remember now. Discovering that lake. Discovering _her_ naked in that lake. Stepping right into that hidden trap because he had been too distracted gawking at her in astonishment.

No wonder she thought him a blithering idiot.

Eishi could feel a rare hint of chagrin encroaching upon him, turning his ivory complexion a faint tinge of red. She looked amused by his embarrassment, and then much to his surprise, she took a seat at his bedside and placed her arm behind his neck, helping him to lift his head up a little. The faint scent of wild strawberries emanated from her hair. He stiffened.

"What are you-"

"You're in pain, aren't you?" she asked. Her other hand reached over to the side table where there sat a cup of what looked like some sort of herbal brew. She picked it up and offered it to him. "Willow bark tea will help, so drink up."

He wasn't exactly weak enough that he needed to be nursed like that, so he took the tea from her with his own hands and stoically choked down the bitter concoction. She set his head back on the pillow and retrieved the empty container from him when he was done. Once more, amusement ghosted across her eyes at the look on his face as his body rebelled against the medicinal draught. "Yes, it tastes terrible, but bear with it. I'll get you some freshly baked bread and stew in a bit. Let me look at your side first."

She left briefly to gather the items that she needed, before returning to retake her seat on the bed. She proceeded to push aside the covers and started to remove his dressing, with such minimal fuss and fluster that he could not help but marvel over her level of calmness even when completely alone with a male stranger.

"Are you a healer?" he asked, watching as she unraveled his soiled bandages and dropped them in a basin. That deep gash at his side looked significant enough to be concerning, but at the same time, the raw, sluggishly bleeding wound also seemed to be knitting together already. He wondered what she had used to make him heal at such an incredible rate.

"Perhaps," she replied ambiguously, not even looking at him as she started to clean the edges of the injury with a warm and damp washcloth. Despite her not-very-demure demeanor, her touch was careful not to cause him undue physical distress. "Are you healing? If so, I _suppose_ I am one, after all."

"…" He was faintly nonplussed by her nonchalance. The sum total of his interactions with this mysterious woman so far all left him feeling somewhat disoriented and bewildered. For someone who was used to having the upper hand and having everything planned out meticulously, this was not a good position to be in.

She met his gaze and commented.

"You know, you weren't really at that state of 'certainly' dying that I could reasonably ignore you and leave you to it in that pit. You were only significantly injured and so it grated on my conscience not to do a thing. It was really troublesome," she informed him honestly as she applied what looked like some herbal poultice on his jagged laceration. He wondered how he was supposed to respond to her evidently reluctant rescue of him. More importantly…

"…You saved me…on your own?" he sounded rather surprised by the realization.

She lifted her brow at his question.

"Do you see anyone else here? You were really heavy, too. It took a long time getting you out of that hole." she retorted, starting to redress him with fresh strips of bandages once her cleaning was completed. "So, please refrain from falling into any pits in the future, will ya? Or if you _really_ cannot help yourself, maybe you should do it somewhere far away from here, or do it properly at least."

His ears were turning a faint pink again at her dry remarks. He was usually a lot more composed than this but this woman was riling him effortlessly. A faint flicker of irritation thrummed across his usually impassive senses. His lavender gaze was visibly aggravated as he met hers.

"I apologize for causing you inconvenience. Next time, should I ever feel the inclination to drop into a boar pit, I shall endeavor to fall on all the spikes so as not to cause any trouble to anyone around me."

His clipped, somewhat acerbic reply elicited the strangest reaction out of her.

Her cat-slit eyes lit up and she _laughed_. It was a husky, full throated laugh, and that alluring sound immediately sent sharp frissons of _awareness_ running through him. His gaze focused on her, the pink of her lips, the flash of her white teeth, the sharp glint of her incisors almost animalistic in their nature. He simultaneously wanted to hear her laugh again just to experience that thrilling, disconcerting, feeling once more, even as at the same time, an entirely alarming suspicion was starting to occur to him. Of _all_ the most ludicrous, inappropriate responses to have-!

"You're a funny one, aren't you?" Was all she said while he was off having an internal crisis. _Funny_? He was a knight commander and the heir to the House of Tsukasa. He was noble and gallant and he was extremely good at directing people to kill each other on a battlefield. He wasn't _funny_. He wanted to object to her commentary but she finished up securing his bandages and simply walked off to deal with the soiled bindings. She returned shortly with a bowl of stew and bread for him, as promised. With some careful maneuvering, she managed to get him seated on the bed without jostling his splinted leg too much before she handed him his meal.

It was very good, he realized after an initial taste. Thick chunks of braised venison and garden vegetables covered in savory gravy, only lightly spiced in order to bring out the sweetness and flavors of the meaty and wholesome dish.

"I usually don't see any humans around these parts. What are you doing all the way up these mountains?" she asked as she enjoyed her share of dinner.

Eishi paused carefully to ponder a reply. 'I'm here to find and kill a dragon' did not sound like the words of someone with a sane mind. The woman obviously already did not have a very high opinion of him already – did he really want her to think that he was a raving lunatic as well?

"…I'm exploring this mountain range," he replied at last, slowly. "I…travel around a lot."

He mainly 'travelled around a lot' to wage wars and invade foreign lands by the order of his King, but she did not have to know that. Most importantly, he was realizing that he did not want the friendly way she was looking at him right now to change to fear…and wariness, as most people whom he met inevitably did once they realized who he was…and on whose mandates he moved for. This woman, exasperating as she was, had just saved his life, treated his injuries, and let him into the sanctuary of her home. He owed this much to her, at the very least.

Never mind his own growing intrigue towards her.

She looked at him with a flicker of interest.

"Oh? Why do you travel around a lot?" Her inquisitive tone shifted imperceptibly to a humorous one. "Surely it's not to peek at unsuspecting maidens taking their baths, good sir?"

… _She remembered!_

He nearly choked on his bite of stew, sputtering and turning really, really red.

"I wasn't _peeking_ at you!"

* * *

A while later, after Eishi had hurriedly explained his side of the story and (his) honor had (reasonably) been satisfied, he realized that he still had no idea who this vivacious, spirited redhead was. Come to think of it, she had no idea who he was either.

"…I'm Eishi. What's your name?"

She looked at him in a silently inscrutable manner.

"I'm…Rindou."

"Rindou…as in the gentian? The bellflower?"

He had seen the trumpet shaped, azure flowers carpeting entire meadows when he had been exploring area, obviously indigenous to this alpine region. If she was native to this mountainous land, then it would not be too out of the ordinary for her to have been named after the bold, striking blooms.

She was quiet for the longest moment.

"Yes."

* * *

 _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

This AU was actually supposed to be part of a one-shot thingy for 'Peerless,' but as with everything I touch, it ballooned into something a lot bigger (despite my best efforts to contain it). In the end, I thought that it would be better if I just turned it into a fic all on its own, so here we are.

You will also notice that the writing style for this chapter is somewhat disjointed at parts, and the pacing is quite fast. Again, this was supposed to be a one shot so I was experimenting with my writing with that expectation in mind. The flow should become smoother in subsequent chapters. Well, I hope.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

The actual inspiration for this fic came from a curious conclusion that I drew from Tsukuda-sensei's conception of Eishi and Rindou's characters in the manga.

As we know, Rindou's name (竜胆), uses the kanji for 'dragon' (竜) and 'gall' (胆). Put together, it is also the Japanese word for 'gentian', a type of intense blue, trumpet-shaped flower from the genus _gentiana_. However, the name '竜胆' can also be translated to mean '(to have the) spirit and/or courage of a dragon.' I find that very fascinating, because if we interpret her name that way, suddenly Rindou's physical appearance (and personality) is making A LOT of sense. Those fangs of hers, those golden slit-pupils – they're not catlike, guys. They're dragon-like!

And _guess_ whom do we have on the other end who carries the title of 'White _Knight_ of the Table?'

… _Tsukuda-sensei, you're very sly!_

 _Erm_. So yes. Long story short, dragons and knights pretty much come hand in hand in myths and legends so this was how I ended up hatching this fantasy/medieval AU, for those of you who were curious to know.

Last thing to address is medieval AUs and the usage of Old English. For this fic, I will _not_ be using Old English colloquial for the characters' speech, mainly because I feel that it's unnecessarily distracting. Feel free to assume that in this medieval AU setting, the people speak in modern English for the most parts.

As always, concrit and feedback are very much welcome! Thanks for reading!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Dragon Heart

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3923

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

 **Verse:** Fantasy Medieval AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/06/17

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"Are you not worried that you have a stranger living in your home?" he had asked the next evening.

She obviously lived alone, so far out from civilization. If anything were to befall her, nobody would know, let alone come to her rescue.

"I could be someone with bad intentions, for all that you're aware."

"Are you?" she had asked evenly in return. "Do you have bad intentions?"

She looked at him after cleaning and changing his dressing for the day.

He shook his head at her. "That's not what I'm asking."

Eishi could not figure out _why_ anyone would want to live the way Rindou did, cut off and secluded from the rest of the world. She was no hermit; she seemed like someone who enjoyed interacting with others. This self-imposed isolation was very strange, indeed. Was there something here in these lands that kept her tethered to it?

She shrugged, and a flash of something that seemed like amusement flickered past her golden eyed gaze.

"I'm not afraid of you," she simply responded. "What are you going to do; hop after me on one leg and hope that I'll stay put long enough for you to catch?" She gestured carelessly around her. "Here are all the worldly possessions that I own; you may have whatever you want. What more is there for anyone to take?"

He looked at her silently.

She did not seem to realize the power of her own appeal, that captivating, ethereal beauty that some men would go to dangerous lengths to claim and possess for their own.

"Please be more wary," the white haired knight told her at last. "Also. My leg will heal completely one day soon and I am _still_ physically stronger than you are, you know."

"And _may~be_ I'm slowly poisoning you with my food and herbs all along," she sang back slyly. "Shall we see who'd be the last one standing in the end?"

She served him his meal with a feline smirk, and he looked at the bowl that she held out. It was roast pheasant with herbs and wild rice, and the tantalizing aroma teased his nose. She was _very_ good at cooking, he thought, silently accepting the dish from her. The food was delicious. They dug in silently.

"…I owe my life to you," he told her quietly after a few bites. "You've nothing to fear from me."

She looked at him over her own bowl, her slit pupiled gaze glinting with humor.

"I hope so. I'd really _hate_ to have to murder you in your sleep tonight after all that effort I've already put into keeping you alive."

"…"

* * *

He noticed the plain bandage that circled her wrist that day.

There were the faintest tinges of red permeating through the snowy white material – come to think of it, that bandage had been there on that first night he came to and found himself in her cottage, too. Nearly a week since they first met, he finally asked her the question that had been niggling his curiosity.

"What happened here?" he asked, reaching out to grab her arm, his fingers wrapping around her forelimb, gently turning it a bit so that he could have a closer look. "It's been sometime; it's not healing properly…?"

She startled, not expecting the contact, tugging free and slipping away from his grasp before he could unravel the dressing to inspect the wound.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, belatedly realizing how inappropriate the touch was. She still watched him, but she shook her head slowly.

"No, you surprised me, was all," she replied. He noted that she covered her injured wrist with the sleeve of her dress, and kept it out of his sight by slipping her arm behind her back. He transferred his gaze to her face.

"Did you get hurt from when you saved me…?"

She shrugged. "It's nothing." And she blithely changed the subject, plonking down on his bedside and leaning towards him all of a sudden. He stilled when she got really close, her visage filling his vision. But then she pulled back again and wrinkled her nose.

"You need a bath. You smell pretty rank," she told him seriously, and he started to look chagrinned.

"I cannot help that, being bedridden and all," he defended himself somewhat self-consciously. Her ochre gaze considered the scraggly whiskers on his face, and then, much to his astonishment, she reached out and curiously touched his facial stubble. Her fingers briefly cradled his jaw.

He _stared_ at her.

"You need a shave too," she commented, rather amused by his unkempt appearance. He looked very strange even with a partially grown beard, like a youth playing at being an adult. She snickered, finally pulling her hand back. "I don't think you should ever grow anything on your face, Eishi. You look like you're molting. I'll help you wash up."

He snapped back to attention at her offer, alarmed.

"That's not necessary. I can do it on my own. If you can draw a pail of water and get me a washcloth, that'd be good enough."

She looked doubtful.

"What about the hard-to-reach places like your back and all that? I didn't go through all that work patching you up only for you to overstrain and hurt yourself again," she pointed out. "Don't be so stubborn and let me help."

A bit frazzled, he was also starting to get vaguely irritated again, that she was forcing him to spell it out.

"It's _inappropriate_. You're a young, unwed maid, and I'm a man."

Instead of backing off like any sensible lady would in this situation, she looked at him like he was crazy.

"So what? We're the only two beings up here in this entire mountain range and you're worried about propriety? It's not like we're going to copulate or anything like that!" He spluttered at her frank comment. _This woman-_

And Rindou wasn't even done. She continued, raising her voice a bit over his protests. "Also, if you're worried about your modesty, I've already seen most of all there is to see the first time around when I was treating your injuries and changing you out of your bloodied clothes. It's fine; I'm not bothered at all."

She was so matter of fact and dismissive about the whole thing that he could not help but start to feel faintly offended instead. He had been led to believe that he was quite an attractive male specimen back at the royal court but apparently this woman found him rather underwhelming, if her reaction was to be of any indication. It stung his pride, just a bit.

"…Fine," he gritted out.

She petted his arm and looked pleased by his acquiescence. "Don't worry! I won't take advantage of you!"

"…That's not what I'm concerned about," he muttered somewhat crossly. He couldn't remember the last time when he had been this _openly_ aggravated. Anyone who knew him would not believe their eyes if they were to see him right now. The feeling was both refreshing and alarming at the same time, this increased level in expressivity…and decreased level in self-discipline. Was it the mountain air? Was it the food he ate?

Was it the woman who was driving him completely batty?

…It was the woman. It was _definitely_ the woman.

Said woman in question had gone off to prepare all the things that he would need for his wash. Eishi was loathed to admit it, but he did feel grimy and greasy and a wash sounded really good right now. He watched as she arranged a stool in the middle of the room, dragged in a couple of wooden basins, and started to heat up some water at the hearth. The hem of her dress was hiked up rather scandalously to her knees to keep the material from getting accidentally soaked, showing off the dainty turn of her ankles, the charming curve of her slender calves. He felt vaguely like a scoundrel for staring at her, also at the same time wondering if there was something wrong with him for mentally waxing poetic over a woman's legs?

He couldn't quite look at her by the time she proclaimed that everything was ready for him. She found his behavior a bit strange, but then again, he had been a pretty strange man from the very moment they met, so maybe this was something that was normal for him? She helped him to hobble slowly over to the stool, get him perched there securely, before she shared her plans with him.

"So here's what we're gonna do. I'll help you wash your hair first, and then later I'll remove your dressing and you can use the washcloth to wipe yourself down. You seem rather shy so I'll leave that part to you-" His eye twitched a bit at her faint teasing. "I'll take care of the rest, is that fine by you?"

At this point, the white haired knight just really wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. He nodded. She beamed.

"Very well, lean forward over the basin, I need to wet your hair-"

Despite her bossy nature, her hands were gentle as they worked through his hair. Warm water was run carefully through the pale strands, and then her soap-lathered fingers slowly combed through the wet locks, blunt nails scraping lightly against his scalp, trying to get him as clean as possible. The entire experience was less traumatic as he would have thought, and was quite pleasant, actually. He was almost sorry when it ended, and she dropped a towel over his head before encouraging him to sit up once more. While he absently dried his hair, she started to remove his bandages, inspecting his injury at the same time. She seemed pleased with what she saw, reaching out a finger a poke him experimentally to gauge his reaction. He did not grimace in pain, which was a good sign.

"Your side looks like it's almost healed," she commented approvingly as she handed him a washcloth. He accepted it from her distractedly, looking rather surprised at how quickly that nasty gash had closed. He had suffered injuries of that degree before in the past and he knew from experience that the wound should have taken at least a week longer to look the way it did now, still a bit raw, but already knitted shut. _What on earth was going on here…_

She left him with the damp washcloth as well as the second basin of warm water to really get himself as clean as possible while she dragged the one with the dirty water outside to rid of it. He worked quickly and quietly in her absence, and by the time she returned, he was almost done.

"You're fast," she commented in surprise. "Do this often?"

He shrugged a bit. "I've been hurt before," he admitted. Her gaze flickered over to his torso, looking at the faint, silvery scars that covered parts of his whipcord lean musculature. She lifted a finger, curiously traced one of those pale, knotted lines. He stilled at the soft touch.

"…So I've noticed."

She took the washcloth from him, rinsed and wrung it out, then padded over behind him to help him with his back, as promised. She also helped him roll up the hem of his pants, and then wipe down his legs, wash his feet.

"You don't have to do that," he protested. She shook her head.

"It's not like you can manage it on your own right now," she commented, and that was that.

He was a bit dazzled by her. He had never met any woman like her before. Bossy, but also gentle. Sassy, but also sweet. Blunt, but also kind. What was a woman like her living on her own all the way out here, he wondered again.

She rose, wiped her hands off with the cloth, and she walked over to the corner of the cottage to retrieve a small, leather wrapped package. Unravelling the pouch before him, she exposed the shaving kit.

"This was once my father's," she explained, and there was a faintly wistful quality in her voice as she touched the handle of the shaving brush. He wondered what had happened to her family. "Anyway, it should serve your purpose well enough. I've never actually done this before though, so…"

She sharpened the shaving blade with the razor strop, then lathered the shaving soap with the shaving brush. The washcloth was tucked around his neck. Then, she applied the soap foam liberally around his jaw and lower portion of his face.

"I'm starting now."

He flinched a bit when she nicked him slightly on the first shave – that blade was _very_ sharp. She hissed in dismay. Her fingers coming up to soothe the very faint laceration. He twitched at her apologetic touch. Their eyes met. "Sorry. I'll be more careful."

And she really tried her best. The rest of the shave proceeded more smoothly, and he watched her as she concentrated very seriously on her task. It left him with an oddly warm feeling in his chest, how earnest she was being. When she was done, she wiped off the rest of the lather on his now clean shaven face, took a step back to survey her handiwork…and her ochre eyes widened slightly.

"… _Huh._ You're really… _beautiful_ ," she remarked slowly, as if she had only just realized...

Then, she blinked. And grinned. "You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen…though not that I've seen many in the first place…" she trailed off. Her golden, curious gaze focused on him again. "Are all human men beautiful like you are?"

The way she phrased the question was somewhat strange. She wasn't actually trying to compliment him, was asking an honest question, but…her words pleased him, all the same. He felt ridiculously pleased, for some reason. She thought that he was beautiful.

"I can't really answer that question, since it'd be unfair of me to do so." he replied at last. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

She tilted her head at him, a brief furrow on her brow.

"Find out for myself?" she echoed, mystified. "How?"

He eyed her carefully.

"You can come down the mountains with me when it's time for me to leave."

Her previously curious expression turned blank, _guarded_.

She slowly shook her head.

"…I… _can't_."

"Why not?" he asked, watching the myriad emotions flickering past her eyes, come and gone all too quickly for him to isolate and identify. "What's keeping you here, Rindou?"

It was a question that he had been thinking about more and more for the last few days. She was obviously a social creature. To be confined to isolation like this…it seemed _wrong_. Almost unimaginably cruel, somehow.

She shook her head again, starting to clam up at his questions.

"I cannot leave," she repeated, her voice becoming clearer with conviction. "I've my reasons that I cannot share with you."

 _What are you afraid of?_ He wanted to ask, but that question would cross the boundary that she had so clearly drawn around herself, and so he kept silent. But his eyes continued to watch her silently, until she looked away, changing the subject.

"Your leg will set well enough for you to leave soon. Perhaps in another week or two," she commented. There was an expression on her face at her announcement, almost like something _sad_. He did not think that it was wholly because of him…more to the fact that his imminent departure would mean that she would be left alone, _again_.

"Rindou." His voice was quiet, and she looked at him. "The world is so much larger than this mountain sanctuary you call home. It may seem frightening and dangerous at times, but I think there are many new experiences out there that you'll enjoy. Places you've never been. Things that you've never seen. Think about it."

She looked at him, and he knew that his words had elicited an effect on her, because that fierce yearning that laid coiled in her rose to the surface, a roiling hunger to explore new horizons, to devour new worlds. She was not something that could be chained up to one place and still be happy about it. She reached out and tugged lightly at his arm, seeking his attention. There was a faint wonder on her face, a rising need to _know_ glowing in her catlike gaze. He was a gateway to all the foreign things and far flung places that existed beyond the isolated bubble of her limited world, that which she could not even begin to imagine. She wanted to know what she was missing.

"…Tell me more."

* * *

He had not forgotten the reason for his journey here.

The dragon.

The thing was, remote as this place was, there wasn't anything that seemed entirely off or out of place about this land. The nights were cold and quiet, and the days were peaceful and tranquil. There were no sightings of strange beasts and unexplainable events, and nature is as nature always was. There were no outwardly physical signs etched onto the forests that there existed a large, lizard-like fire breathing creature residing anywhere in this mountain range. One would think that a dragon, being a hulking, scaly beast of rage and fury incarnate, would have possessed a much more impactful presence…but _no_.

This led Eishi to wonder if the information that he had received from the Order had been entirely accurate in the first place. For all he knew (and likely suspected), he had been sent on a fool's errand, and would have to eventually return to the palace to report to his King that there was _no_ dragon.

The only thing that was worth noting was the way he seemed to be healing from his injuries at an incredible, accelerated pace that defied his understanding. Even the best healers in the Kingdom could not produce the results that he was experiencing. He had broken limbs before, ribs, collarbones, even his fingers. He knew that time was imperative for the fractured bones to set well. His broken leg, while a clean break, should have taken a least two months to completely heal, but as it was, it had only been slightly less than two weeks...and already he was able to put weight on the previously damaged limb.

He could not comprehend or isolate any possible cause for his rate of recovery. Was there something mystical about this land? Was it the air? The water?

"Oh, you can already stand on your own," his redheaded host had not seemed too surprised by his excellent prognosis when she walked into the cottage that morning. In her hand, she held what he assumed was to be their lunch. A hare, already expertly skinned, dressed and bled, probably found caught in one of the snare traps that she laid around the land surrounding the cottage when she made her morning rounds checking them. Prey was abundant here, and together with the herb and vegetable garden nestled into the side of the cottage that she carefully cultivated and tended to, they ate surprisingly well.

"…Yes." Eishi looked grimly at his leg, flexing and lifting the weakened limb, testing its physical limits.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, walking up closer, and then circling him once to observe his physical state. "You don't look very happy; why is that so?"

He glanced at her. "I'm not unhappy that I'm healing. I just cannot figure out how I'm healing at such an incredible rate. Something strange is going on here."

She went very still at his words.

"Perhaps you are overthinking things," she offered. "Maybe you weren't even hurt as badly as you thought you were in the first place…"

But he had caught her tell, in her too bright eyes and the subtle way she shifted her weight uneasily and hid her arms behind her back. She was suddenly the very picture of wide eyed innocence, and he blinked at the sight. It was all very suspicious. He focused his attention on her.

"You _know_ something."

She shook her head, sidling a bit to the side at his faint accusation. Unfortunately for her, now that he had regained some of his mobility, he was able to match her retreat. She glowered a bit at him. He frowned back, unimpressed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied vehemently. And just to get him to lay off on her a bit, she blurted out. "The only thing I know is _this_ -"

Quite literally in an instant, she fished the wild duck eggs out of her pockets and shoved it at him, leaving him no choice but to grab the handfuls or have them smashed against his chest.

"We're having omelet and rabbit stew and since you're obviously feeling better, then you can help out too!"

She would not take no for an answer and pretty much bossed him through the entire cooking process, though he suspected that she mostly did so in order to keep him from asking questions that she was unwilling to answer. She was very mysterious, he could not help but think. For a woman who lived in a cottage so far out in the mountains, there were a lot of things about her that did not entirely make sense…

"Tell me more about Tootsuki," she had insisted as they shared their noon meal. She seemed to enjoy listening about him talk about his world, but steadily refused to share her own. He wanted to highlight the unfairness of it all, but he didn't think that she would care too much. And so, he gave in to her hopeful gaze and that expectant look on the lovely face of hers. He told her about the royal courts, the grand palace, the bustling towns and the people who lived well and prosperously under the rule of the Tootsuki monarchy. He spoke of the King and his family, as well as the loyal who served him and helped to protect and safeguard their kingdom. Noble lords and virtuous ladies, and then there were also the chivalrous, gallant knight cavaliers.

Rindou stiffened at the mention of the last, slit-pupiled eyes flashing.

"I _hate_ knights," she whispered with such quiet vehemence that he looked at her, surprised by her fierce, kneejerk reaction.

"Why…?"

"Because nothing good happens whenever there's a knight around," she retorted fiercely. "They invade lands and create wars. They pillage and they kill. They take what is not theirs' to take and slaughter in cold blood those who try to stop them. The only difference between them and murderers and robbers is that their ' _heroic'_ deeds receive the support and approval of their _King_."

He was silent. She wasn't wrong. Her impression was cynical, and very bitter, however.

There and then, he knew without even having to ask, the fate that had befallen her and hers. Some of the pieces are starting to fall together now, the reason why she behaved the way she did…

 _She hated knights, huh…?_

He had to ask, even as a sinking feeling grew in his stomach.

"What would you do, if you found a knight here…one day?"

She looked at him. Something inscrutable flickered in those exotic eyes. Something very feral, and incredibly, breathtakingly _wild_.

His pulse quickened. He could not tear his gaze away.

"I'll put him out of his _misery_."

* * *

 _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Gah, I deliberated over this chapter long and hard, thought of rewriting the whole thing more than once, but decided in the end to leave it as is for now. Again, you will find that the pacing is going very fast, which might probably be disconcerting to read, but please do let me assure you that I'm still in the process of setting the storyline. These first four to five chapters will seem to go really quick, _because_ they are still prologues to the actual plot, haha.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

As always, please do let me know what you think. I live for your thoughts and commentaries! Thanks for reading! :)

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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Dragon Heart

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3879

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

 **Verse:** Fantasy Medieval AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 13/06/17

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

One night, the temperature up on this alpine mountains fell drastically, so much so that even with a fire constantly burning at the hearth, the howling winds outside still seemed to be able to find their way into the small cottage. Even the pitcher of water on the table was frozen solid. It was going to be a long, miserable evening, and shivering under the blankets, Eishi had wondered how his fellow housemate and host could live like this the way she did. His fingers were starting to feel numb and bloodless, and even his teeth were starting to chatter as his body struggled to withstand the extreme chill.

Then, Rindou came to the rescue.

She, who had ceded her bed to him for the past week or so and had taken refuge up at the little loft tucked into the corner of the room instead, had simply emerged from her cozy den, vaulted gracefully onto the ground and padded over to him. She looked faintly concerned, her golden eyes glowing almost preternaturally in the flickering firelight as she gaze upon his trembling form. She shook her head, and he could almost _see_ that question silently forming in her mind.

 _Are all men so weak?_

…Wounded pride aside, he just wanted to know how it was possible that she was able to stand there in the middle of the freezing room, dressed in what looked like a thin, cotton nightgown, and still appear perfectly unaffected by the biting elements. Belatedly, it eventually occurred to his half frozen mind that she was also standing right in front of the hearth, inadvertently casting her hair a mesmerizing crimson halo and her pale skin a warm, irresistible honey gold. The backlight from the flames also had the side effect of turning her white sleeping dress almost completely translucent against the shadowed silhouette of her supple, willowy form; he could see the soft swell of her breasts, the graceful dip of her slender waist, the inviting flare of her full, womanly hips.

She looked like some pagan Norse goddess of fire and blood, and at that very moment, he thought that he would not mind dying, just to taste her heat.

…But he was waxing poetic again, so that was probably all just the delirious cold speaking. _Probably._

He closed his eyes even as that innocuously erotic image of her was seared into his mind. His pulse quickened, his blood throbbed dully in his ears. Much to his chagrin, thinking of her did warm him up, just a bit. It was also entirely inappropriate and neither here nor there-

The bed shifted and creaked, the mattress sinking a bit under the addition of a new weight. His eyes flew opened immediately, and he started.

"What are you-"

She flopped onto his side unceremoniously, already hugging a pillow and curling into it, her back turned towards him.

He sat up slowly and stared at her. He stared at her long enough that she huffed and wiggled back around to look at him.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

"I'm trying to sleep," she replied. "As you should."

"Here?" he asked again, just in case there was some sort of misunderstanding here. "On the same bed?"

She lifted a brow.

"This is my bed in the first place, you know."

Well, she wasn't wrong. He gritted his teeth at her flighty demeanor.

"I understand. I'll move-"

She sighed, louder, and before he could make to shift out of the bed and do something really _stupid_ like try to sleep on the freezing floor, she reached up, grabbed him by the front of his tunic, and tugged him back down. He, of course, put up a valiant struggle. That was when she rolled over on top of him and straddled his hips, pinning him onto the mattress. Her red hair curtained their faces as she leaned down and looked at him. She was incredibly _warm_ , he could not help but think. Dizzyingly warm, and enticingly soft in a way that made him want to grab onto her hips and pull her in close.

"Look. Do you want to stay toasty and actually get to sleep, or do you want to worry about propriety in a place where no one cares and freeze to death?" she asked.

He twitched at her mistaken impression of his reaction.

"I'm concerned for your modesty, actually."

"Don't be," she responded calmly. "If you do anything that I do not find agreeable, your other leg, I'll break."

She did not sound like she was kidding, and after enjoying the fruits of her hunting skills for the last week or so, he did not doubt that she could do it either. Instead of feeling put off by her casual aggressiveness, he found himself hyper focused on her instead, his lavender gaze locked with her sharp, slit-gold ones. Dear god, she was _perfect_.

He slowly nodded, still not breaking eye contact. "Fair enough."

She nodded as well, still perched on his lean hips.

"Good."

Problem solved, she slipped off of him and returned to her original position on her side of the bed. It wasn't really a very large mattress in the first place so they were basically just lying shoulder to shoulder to each other. She wiggled around onto her side to look at him again.

"You look like you're going to turn into a block of ice," she commented blithely, and his only response was to pull the quilts closer around him.

"How are you _not_ freezing?" he muttered, and she just looked at him like he was being funny.

"I'm used to it," she commented. "It's not even that cold..."

Now it was his turn to give her a very disgruntled stare, which only succeeded in making her chuckle.

"Human men are very fragile," she noted, inching closer to look at him. His pale lashes were so long, and she had never seen eyes the color of his before. She marveled quietly over them; such a gentle shade of lavender.

"…You're like a flower," she announced suddenly. "Really pretty, but also fragile."

"..." He had no words for her. He had never in his entire life been likened to a flower before, so this was a somewhat surreal experience. Actually, all of his interactions with her so far had been somewhat surreal. He still honestly did not know what to make of her.

 _Pretty? Fragile?_ She really had a way with words. He did not know how much more his _fragile_ pride could take.

She snickered again at the look on his face. She reached out and petted his arm in an amused, assuring manner.

"I like flowers," she told him, her soft, glowing gaze getting heavy with sleep. She stretched out and yawned widely, flashing a pair of pointed incisors as well as the catlike curl of a pink tongue. Her eyes slid close, and she rubbed her face against the soft, comfortable sheets, content and drowsy. "…G'night."

He watched her as her breathing slowly evened out, as slumber claimed her. He watched the dense copper of her lashes fanning the gentle slopes of her cheeks, the charming arch of her nose, the poetic curve of her petal lips.

He silently thought of the insipid, simpering ladies back in court that his family had tried futilely to match him with, how he had been unmoved even by their elegant poise, their incredibly refined breeding. It was only now that he was beginning to comprehend _why_ those women had never really appealed to him.

Once that realization slowly took form inside his mind, Eishi closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, visibly distressed by his newfound understanding.

 _What was he supposed to do now?_

…He liked flowers too, it seemed.

* * *

When he woke the next morning, it was squalling furiously outside, the force of the sudden snow storm violent enough to rattle the door and the window panes. The temperature had dropped to way below freezing, but yet, he was incredibly comfortable.

He was _warm_. His vision was filled with red.

Eishi could not quite claim surprise…or dismay. His host was curled up into his side, still deeply asleep. Her hands clung unconsciously into his shirt, her face half tucked into the nook of his neck. Every now and then, she snored softly.

The position that they were in was incredibly…intimate. She was very, _mesmerizingly_ soft, and the steady, gentle heat she exuded lulled him into a sense of complete contentment. He was relaxed, sleepy, and when he gazed at her, a languid, tender feeling that was very much like pleasure welled within him. He wanted to keep her, he mused.

Even if they were the only ones left in this world right now, he thought that he would not mind it at all.

Eishi stopped fighting the inevitable.

When Rindou stirred awake an hour or so later, she was only faintly surprised to find herself entwined with him, their limbs tangled, sharing warmth and the unexpected, subtle pleasure of tactile body contact. She did not appear averse to her new setting on the bed, and after the initial, vaguely disconcerted disorientation, was more curious and interested in exploring this nice, soft feeling that his presence seemed to elicit in her. She had half thought that he would have been fussier about their current position, but he seemed strangely placid.

He also wasn't pushing her away, either.

He was watching her though, his expression was calm, his pale lavender gaze scrutinizing her closely. She didn't quite know what to make of his composure…as well as the fact that his fingers were slowly, gently running through her hair. His unobtrusive ministrations made her want to purr. She leaned into his touch, her eyes closing, and that feeling he gave her _grew_.

"You make me feel strange things," she mused slowly, voice still low, smoky from sleep.

His brow silently lifted.

"You make me feel strange things too," he admitted quietly as well. Her golden eyes opened, and she simply stared at him. She said nothing, and after a while, she laid her head back down on his shoulder, keeping close, taming docilely beneath his touch.

If _only_ they were the only ones left in this world right now, then it would have been perfect.

* * *

He was almost fully healed by now, which meant that his imminent departure was almost a certain thing. They did not speak about that inevitability, but both knew that it was encroaching upon them. After that first evening where they shared the bed, she took to curling up with him on subsequent nights. There was nothing unchaste about their contact, the way they reached out to each other, fingers tracing warm skin, lingering yearning over cheeks and lips, tangling softly through hair and clothes. She thrived beneath his gentle attention, quietly seeking more from him, accepting his tender courtship.

"Come back with me," he murmured into her crimson hair. She was quiet for the longest time. "Please," he whispered.

When she finally lifted her head to look at him, the expression on her face was incredibly sad. She took his larger hand in hers, slowly brought it up to her face. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against him, turning to kiss the center of his palm. Then, she took his hand and simply pressed it against her chest, right over where he could feel her heart was beating, fluttering in the cage of her chest like the wings of a little swallow. She looked at him steadily, her eyes softly glowing.

" _This heart, it is yours."_

* * *

The end, when it came, came too fast and too abruptly. There was no time, no warning, no chance to fix the mistakes that he had made.

It was too late.

That afternoon, he returned from the lake to an unexpected sight.

It was the members of the Order. There were five of them, all ominously hooded, standing in a circle in the clearing outside the cottage. It felt almost sacrilegious somehow, that they were right here, intruding upon this land, tainting the tranquil peace with their blighted presence. His hackles slowly rose. He had not expected that they would actually have him followed. There was something on the ground within that circle in front of them, partially concealed from his sight, something alive and frantically struggling for freedom, like a downed, wounded animal, like a gasping, landed fish.

His heart slowly coalesced to ice.

One of the men separated from the group and shuffled up to him, bowing in reverent obeisance.

"Sir Knight," he intoned. "Congratulations on your successful hunt. His Majesty will be very pleased. We did not think that you'd find the dragon heart so quickly. Let us return with your prize so that you may be richly commended and rewarded for your efforts."

"…Are you the only ones sent after me?" he asked, his expression turning blank.

"Yes, Sir Knight. There were more of us but this frightful _beast_ slaughtered them during the surprise attack," the hooded member of the Order spat in the direction of the half-Turned, serpentine golden-eyed creature trapped in a barbed net on the ground, muzzle and claws bloodied from where she had put up a desperate fight when she had been hopelessly ambushed and outnumbered. Dragonsbane coated the deliberately sharp spurs of the strong, chained netting, ensuring that she was in constant, abject torment every time the poisoned hooks bit deeply into her flesh. Pain and fear _churned_ her into a fevered frenzy. One of his colleagues drew back his foot and launched a vicious kick at their hideous looking captive. She writhed against her torturous bindings and snarled with _hatred_ , flashing crimson stained fangs and teeth. Stuck in the form that was half human and half dragon, slivers of delicate gold red scales glistened over her cheeks, the back of her hands, nails lengthened into claws, preternatural slit pupiled eyes dilated with unforgiving, dragonic _rage_.

He could not tear his eyes away from her.

Rindou. _Rindou._

He could not ignore the truth any longer, not when it was staring him blatantly in the face the way she did.

 _Confusion. Realization. Denial._

She, too, was starting to understand what was going on.

He turned away from her and returned his attention to his fellow compatriot.

"I see."

There was no hesitation. Eishi raised his bow and launched the loaded arrow point blank in the cleric's face, the weapon punching straight through the latter's eye and right out the back of his head. He dropped without making another sound, his face frozen in a grotesque rictus of astonishment and agony even as blood and brain matter sprayed onto a second, nearby Order member, the same arrow finding its final resting place lodged deeply into the joint of his shoulder. The man shouted and staggered back, clutching at his disabled limb, before a second arrow right through his throat silenced him forever. The third and last projectile slammed into the forehead of the man beside him mere seconds later, while the rest were still gawking and paralyzed by the speed and extreme prejudice of the merciless assault.

No. Not assault. An execution.

The white haired knight was already moving forward onto his fourth target when they started to react, trying futilely to mount a defense, terror causing their movements to become clumsy and sluggish. In the first place, they were no match for him; mere members of the clergy pitted against a full-fledged knight of the realm, blooded and hardened by some of the most brutal battlefields and wars ever fought for their kingdom. He could take all of them even while still recovering from the weakness of his recently healed leg. It was no contest at all.

Eishi swung his unloaded crossbow downwards and bludgeoned the fleeing member of the Order with the edge of the weapon, employing enough blunt force to internally separate the man's spine from the base of his skull in one decisive blow. He, like the others before him, fell like a puppet with its strings abruptly cut, dead even before he hit the ground, a strangled gurgle the only sound that heralded his swift passing. And then there was only one left.

"W-Wait! What are you doing! We're on the same side! T-Think about what you are doing! Are you intending to betray King Azami and keep the dragon heart for yourself?! You will not get away with this, Tsukasa Eishi!"

Eishi leaned down briefly and pulled a sickle blade free from the braided belt of one of the fallen men. He continued to approach the cowering cleric who was frantically trying to back away. His expression was quiet, almost regretful.

"I cannot let you live."

The other man could read the look on his face, resolute and unyielding, decision set in stone. There would be no mercy forthcoming. The hooded male turned around and tried to run for his life, frantically praying for deliverance, just as Eishi lifted the weapon and swiftly hurled it at him.

The momentum of the throw sent the deadly sharp, scythe-like object planted hilt deep through the back of the man's head like it was nothing more than a ripe watermelon. His body plowed forward, limbs still moving along helplessly even as he pitched across the dirt ground. He was dead, even as his muscles continued to spasm in death throes.

The spate of brutally efficient violence was over in the matter of seconds.

Eishi did not enjoy the kills. Their deaths were necessary, and he derived no pleasure out of massacring these hapless men. His shoulders lowered, ever so slightly. In a way, they were right. This was a blatant, unforgivable act of betrayal towards his King. But Eishi did not know if Tootsuki could survive the immortality of one Nakiri Azami. He had never intended to find out.

The dragon was never supposed to _exist_.

The lavender eyed man turned and immediately went to Rindou's side, pulling a small hunting blade concealed in the side of his boot and cutting her free. She was still in that curious state of existence that was neither here nor there. She looked human, but she also possessed fine, iridescent scales, impossibly sharp fangs and lethal claws. Despite the clearly unearthly nature of her appearance, he was unafraid of her.

But maybe he should be.

The instant the thick netting was loose, the heaving, wrathful female exploded into action. One moment, she was staked helplessly to the ground, and the next, she was lunging at him, slamming him back first onto the nearest tree, with enough force to crack several of his ribs. Pure fury percolated her glowing, reptilian eyes.

" _You. Are. A._ _**Knight**_ ," she snarled in his face.

He drew a sharp breath at the jarring pain, but he made no move to retaliate. The stark betrayal and anguish in her eyes lanced through him like a searing pike.

"Rindou-" he wheezed.

"You _knew_. You knew all along-" she broke off, and could not even speak properly because it _hurt_ so much. He was _never_ supposed to wound her like this. Not even the agony from her seeping wounds, poisoned from the despised Dragonsbane, had been able to cause as much damage as he had. There was no doubt whatsoever that he was _exactly_ the thing that she had been raised from birth to hate, to fear. A _knight_. She could not believe her ears when those men greeted him with such admiration and respect. But then, he had demonstrated that ruthless killing efficiency that had proven beyond all doubt that he was indeed the real deal. She was not even allowed the benefit of the doubt. She could not even be granted that small mercy.

 _God_ , she had even thought that he was _fragile_. She had wanted to _protect_ him. What a joke! He must have had been laughing at her stupid naiveté the entire while! Laughing, while also plotting how to best rip her heart out of her chest. Her heart, which she had almost offered up to him on a silver platter. What an utter fool she had been. How could she have fallen for someone who had only ever wanted to _kill_ her? How could she have known?

"I didn't realize," he struggled to speak, silently pleading with his eyes, for her to give him the chance to explain. "I was sent here to procure a dragon heart, but I never really believed that it existed - I didn't know it was _you_."

It was only towards the end that he started having his suspicions, the mysterious pieces that were starting to come together one by one, but by then, it had been too late. Hurting her was no longer an option, if it ever was.

" _Shut up."_

She wanted to hate him, she really wanted nothing more than to _hate_ him. But she could not. She was blinded by hurt. Her breath hitched, and it felt like her world was collapsing around her. That bubble of safety was bursting, and what did she have left? _Nothing_. Her face crumpled. Red started to leak from her eyes, streaking her cheeks with hot tears of blood. He made a sound that was very much like a low, pained moan at the sight. Her forearm pressed hard against his throat, keeping him pinned with her sheer, monstrous strength, threatening to crush his windpipe. He choked. Her slit pupiled eyes never left his. She should kill him, right here, right now.

"I love you," he gasped out, desperate to convince her. _I love you. I've only ever wanted to love you._

She shoved away from him, backing away, shaking her head, as if trying to awaken from this utter nightmare. She could barely even look at him. He lurched forward, fell onto his knees before her, struggling to breathe through his badly bruised larynx. What a cruel, bittersweet irony. The knight who refused to slay the dragon. The dragon that could not kill the knight. What was there left to do?

"I wish I've never met you." Her voice was quieting now, her features draining of emotion. It was as if she was mentally retreating to a place where he could no longer reach. Panic started to rise in him at the steely resolve in her tone.

"You saved my life today, so with this, we're even." Her gaze was hard, and alit with a fierce fire. "I never want to see you again, Tsukasa Eishi."

 _Power_ rippled over her being, a dense, breathless feeling that flooded the clearing, that made him acutely aware of his own flickering mortality. When she transformed, the colors that rippled across her red gold scales rivaled the breathtaking brilliance of the sunset. She was nowhere near as big as what the legends say, or perhaps she was just small for her species. She was streamlined, compact, and obviously built for speed. She reared and stretched out her wide, leathery wings, and he realized what she was about to do. No. _No._

He stumbled to his feet, reaching out futilely for her, just as she took a running leap and launched herself into the air.

" _Rindou_!"

* * *

 _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Just so that we're all clear, this is still part of the prologue, ahaha. I know it doesn't feels like it but it is! One more chapter of prologue/world building, and I think we'll be getting into the story shortly thereafter!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Dragon Heart

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General/Humor

 **Word Count:** 4048

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

 **Verse:** Fantasy Medieval AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 19/06/17

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

A year later, the kingdom of Tootsuki was drastically transformed.

The first, most important reason for that change could be mainly attributed to the drastic shift of power within the Nakiri monarchy. Due to overwhelming unpopularity even amongst the members of the royal court, King Azami had been dethroned and forced to abdicate his position that year to his only daughter, Crown Princess Erina. The succession of a female Queen to the throne was not something often done, but with the previous King Senzaemon coming out of his reclusive retirement in open support of his granddaughter's ascension, the young woman very quickly became very well-loved throughout the land, especially with an extremely capable team of lords and ladies working in constant support of her and her reign.

The second obvious difference…were the _dragons_.

It turned out that there were more dragons living hidden in plain sight amongst the common folks (and also largely embedded within the ranks of aristocracy) than previously thought, and when the warmongering and power hungry King Azami was dethroned, the laws of the country changed as well…becoming more tolerant and accepting towards beings of different races, one of which were the dragons that had once been so hated and feared. Their new reemergence and reintegration amongst the humans were also largely in due to Queen Erina's new husband, the Prince Consort Souma of the Noble House of the Yukihira…who also happened to have dragonic blood flowing through his veins.

It was to this large upheaval in the policies of the country that Eishi had returned to. It turned out that his being sent to procure a dragon's heart had been one of the few last gambits that the previous king had betted on, desperate to find any foothold to solidify his standing and claim to his throne, and the allure of immortality had seemed too irresistible an opportunity to let slip. Eishi could only wonder what King Azami was thinking now, knowing that there had been more dragons living under his nose the entire while without his knowledge. In a way, the white haired knight was relieved that he was away up in the mountains in the Far East during the civil upheaval. He did not want to be forced to take up arms and fight against his own countrymen as would have been the case if King Azami had ordered him to defend his reign.

With the newly established monarchy in control by the time he returned to Tootsuki, it was only natural that he had been perceived with suspicion, being a loyal member of the previous regime. Most of his compatriots had been summarily removed from their positions in royal court, some even banished outright to their countryseats until further notice. The only reason why he had escaped that same fate was that he hadn't been around and thus had not been actively involved in fighting the resistance…that and the fact that Queen Erina had apparently spoken up for him, vouching for his honor and loyalty to the Kingdom. It had not made him feel good at all. The only reason he was spared the disgrace of being branded a 'traitor' was because he could not kill a dragon.

In a way, Rindou had saved him again.

Even now, thinking about her made his chest ache. After she fled from him that fateful day at the clearing in the mountains, he never saw her again. He had waited in vain for a month in that cottage of hers, hoping that she would return eventually, but she was _gone_. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but it was bitter irony all over again. She had never wanted to leave her home at first even when he had asked it of her. But now, because of him, she had been forced out of her sanctuary, left with no choice but to deal with a world that she knew next to nothing about. She, for all of her feisty and sassy personality, knew next to nothing about the nature of mankind. He had been her first experience, and he had _burned_ her, however much he had tried to correct and limit the amount of damage that he caused to her towards the end. So he worried about her, hoped that those wings of hers were keeping her aloft even in difficult times, and that she was safe.

She probably hated him with an abhorrent passion now, he mused cynically.

"She'll come back for you eventually, you know."

Eishi lifted his head from where he had been lost in thoughts at the castle parapets. He had not realized that his solitude had been disturbed by another presence. The voice belonged to someone familiar, though.

It was the Prince Consort.

"Excuse me?" he murmured. Eishi really did not want to speak with anyone right now, but as always, duty called, and he was obliged to answer, heart sore or not.

Souma tipped his head to the side, golden eyes surveying the older knight with faint curiosity. "Your Queen."

The other male felt his brow knitting ever so slightly. "My Queen? Do you mean Her Majesty Erina-sama?"

The redhead shook his head. "Nah. I'm not talking 'bout Erina. I'm referring to that other Queen that has claimed you as her own."

Eishi was not sure that he appreciated the ambiguous reply that made no sense whatsoever to him. The Yukihira's informal way of speech also always threw him off, just a bit. "I'm afraid that I do not comprehend your meaning, Your Highness. I assure you that my loyalty to Tootsuki is absolute."

"I don't doubt your loyalty, Tsukasa-san," Souma responded. "I'm just tellin' ya that you've been claimed by a Queen. I don't know how you managed to even find one in the first place because they're so rare and reclusive even amongst those of our ilk, but color me impressed."

"What do you mean?"

"You courted a dragoness, didn't you? A Queen. That's what we call 'em." The Prince Consort tapped his nose. "I can smell her on you. And she has yet to rise, huh. You better hang onto her first chance you get because when she does, all the unbonded males in the vicinity are going to be in hot pursuit."

He was coming up with a lot of terminologies that no sense to Eishi at all, and one look at his blank face had Souma huffing with a faint mix of exasperated amusement.

"You really have no idea what you've done, do ya? Talk 'bout blind, dumb luck."

Eishi had to struggle a bit to bite back his irritation. Souma seemed amused by the reaction that he was gaining. This white haired knight had been nothing but dour and depressing from the moment he returned from whatever quest that bastard Azami had sent him to, so this was an interesting change.

"See; our females are very rare, so rare that it's a good thing that dragons and humans can interbreed, or we probably would have died out a long time ago. But anyway, just know that Queens are really few in numbers and they are also notoriously impossible to court…which once again begs my question of how you actually managed to convince one to accept your suit."

The knight shook his head.

"She left," he replied quietly at last.

Souma's brow silently lifted. "She has yet to relinquish her claim on you though. Interesting, that."

A faint ghost of a smile lifted Eishi's lips.

"That's because she's probably reserving the right to kill me, if anything. …What do you mean, 'she has yet to rise?'"

"I mean she's unpaired. Unbonded. Though she won't be for long once the others know of her existence. And I've never met a Queen who actually paired with a human, though."

Something in that pale lavender gaze turned steely at the notion of Rindou _bonding_ with someone else.

But then, just as quickly, he wilted again, a little bit. Souma could not help but huff a laugh at the man's comically forlorn expression. Really; he wanted to know more than ever how this depressing guy actually managed to gain the favor of a Queen. He ended up slapping the knight in the back instead, in a friendly show of male commiseration and comradeship. The females of any species were always so darned gosh confounding. Erina led him on endless chases all the time, after all.

"Oh, she'll come for ya, trust me. She can't fight her instincts any more than you can."

* * *

The Prince Consort was right.

Instincts did tow them back together…or rather, it towed her straight back to him.

And the catalyst that had brought upon her reluctant response was him.

To be more precise, it was his _blood_.

Getting injured in the line of duty came with the whole package of knighthood. At least this time, the sacrifice was made in the defense of the Kingdom, and not because they were invading neighboring countries again. Not everyone living under the new monarchy was happy with the new way of life. Dragons and humans living together, even openly interbreeding and producing mixed offspring…it was seen as the worst crime committed against nature. The fact that the new Queen was openly cavorting with a dragonic mate was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In response, some of the old supporters of King Azami banded together and mounted an armed rebellion in contemptuous defiance of their new ruler. They plotted to overthrow the current monarchy and restore their Lord and Sire back upon his rightful place on the throne.

The House of Tsukasa had been approached by some of those old guards as well. Family friends, some of whom had watched him grow up from child to man, whose children he had played alongside with in his youth, had asked him to abandon his loyalty to Tootsuki to stand with them instead.

Even his own family had shifted in unease when it came to the unconventional rule of Queen Erina and her Prince Consort. Tsukasa was a noble house that was steeped in tradition, old and established, so all these new changes implemented by the new Nakiri rulership was somewhat disturbing, to say the least. But they were also a clan that was known for its loyalty to Tootsuki, and so they silently bore all the bewildering changes. Dynasties always rose and fell like tides, but the Clan Tsukasa would always endure.

And Eishi could no longer see himself reasonably existing in a world where he could willingly persecute dragons, actively culling them just for their difference.

The other Houses who were once aligned with him saw his decision as a mark of weakness, betrayal.

And so he was treated as such.

It was…morally difficult fighting old allies, but at least he was not alone in his endeavor. Many others rallied to the call of Tootsuki in peril of internal strife. Many sleeping dragons…stirred awoke.

Dragons were historically known to be terrible, unconquerable foes, but conversely their great power and strength also made them _incredible_ allies.

The Prince Consort of Tootsuki was a _Ryujin_. Fully matured, his true form could easily coil around the grand palace several times over. And like all dragons did, he guarded his treasures and his Queen with a tenacity and exacting ferocity that was simply unrivaled. Tootsuki would prove to be infallible under his protection.

He was not the only one. The personal guard of the Prince Consort, Mimasaka Subaru, was a Balaur with twelve heads. The Aldini brothers, two of the brightest knights of the realm, easily rampaged through battlefields and mowed down enemies on their steeds just as efficiently as when they were in their wyvern forms. The Kurokiba clan that were allied to the Nakiri possessed the bloodline of the Jörmungandr and they defended the northern territories with such wildness and savagery that they managed to drive all the dissenters completely out of their lands. And there were others as well, slowly coming out from the woodwork and forming under the banner of Tootsuki.

From a military standpoint, the advantages of having dragonic allies clearly outweighed whatever social stigma that their presences posed…and the upper echelons of the Tootsuki's nobility were starting to recognize that. So most of the older, established Houses maintained neutrality; neither throwing their support behind the rebellion, but also not overtly approving of all the strange, new changes that were occurring around them. In light of the largely detached interest from most of the aristocratic houses, those dissidents hadn't really stood a chance at all to pull off their ambitious gambit…but that did not mean that they did not try to cause as much mayhem and unrest throughout the kingdom as they were being ousted.

Eishi would really like to blame his current injured state on being ambushed and overpowered by the enemy forces, but he knew better than that. In the first place, it was his own fault for failing to detect the trap and walking straight into it. At least the casualties were minimal on their end, and the villagers had been promptly evacuated and not reduced to collateral damage during the fierce battle. Being run through with a broad sword was never a comfortable experience, however. Being staked to the wall was excruciating for the first few hours, and then he started bleeding out too much to feel the agony anymore. A small mercy, that.

The White Knight was acutely aware that he was slowly dying, but at the same time, he could not quite bring himself to care. No doubt his family would be dismayed by his demise, but his cousins would ensure that the line would not die out. He felt strangely numbed and ambivalent towards the prospect of eventual death. He was tired, he thought. It felt like he had been fighting for a very long time. He was tired of warfare and battlefields and killing. His injuries were bad enough that he kept losing focus, his weary mind drifting to thoughts almost of their own accord. He found himself thinking of that little cottage up in the mountains. He found himself thinking of that short period where he had stayed there with the beautiful owner of that cottage. He thought of that easy contentment he felt, lazy days and cozy nights, the smell of her hair, the softness of her skin, the pleasure in her laugh. Funny; now his chest was starting to ache at the memory of that lovely, beloved face, crumpled in pain and betrayal, streaked with tears and staring at him like she would never forgive him.

…And then he was looking at that face through blurred vision.

Startled, he stirred, trying his hardest to concentrate, but much to his unhappiness, his eyes refused to cooperate. His vision was partially red. Why could he _not_ see?

"Get him down, _now_."

He could vaguely feel hands reaching for him, supporting his weight and easing the burden on his pinned wrists and ankles. The sharp pain jarred him dully – he should have hurt more, he thought vaguely, but everything just felt like a faint echo, a dream. Was this a dream? Quite possibly.

But she was _here_. He collapsed clumsily against somebody, a dead weight. His face slumped into someone's neck, hair tickling his nose. That _smell_ of wild strawberries…

His fingers twitched. He wanted to move, to react, but it was as if he was entirely made of lead. He could feel that he was being transported, but no longer cared about the why or the how. There was one thing now that he would give his all to do. Even if this was just a dream, a hallucination, a fevered imagination.

It took him a few tries to successfully attempt coherent speech.

"…Rindou?" he croaked thickly, throat raw and lips cracking, blood dribbling down his chin.

" _M'sorry._ "

* * *

Waking up alive was a surprise.

It was a miserable surprise, though, because he could have done away with all the unbearable pain that came with it, as his deep wounds promptly reminded him of their existence in the most terribly unpleasant of ways. He was battered and aching and felt more like a tattered scrap of meat than an actual human being, but such was life. Life was suffering. Life was agony. To live is to be in constant struggle, and what was the whole point? You still died in the end, alone and miserable.

It took his vision longer than usual to focus, but that was probably because of the bruises on his face and the head contusions that he had received from those whom he had once regarded as close friends of the family. He just laid there quietly for a while, gathering his thoughts, remembering that he had been this close to death before he had been found and summarily rescued. Eishi still had not decided if he should be grateful or not. He was not suicidal but living was very troublesome, he could not help but conclude.

He was already wondering about his homestead, the security of his family land, the safety of the men and soldiers who marched for him as well as the villagers that lived on Tsukasa land, depending on the strength of their Lord and master for survival. He was wondering if the revolt had already been quashed, if the widespread civil unrest had been dealt with, those rebels caught and punished. If not, he would be obliged to get up and rejoin the fight and defend his home, even if he had to crawl the entire way. Now was not the time to be lying around and languishing about, even if he was injured. He still needed to return to the grand palace and make his report to the Prince Consort…

Eishi sighed and quietly decided that he _really_ would not have minded being dead right about now-

The flash of red flickered at the edge of his peripheral vision, and his dour, pessimistic thoughts grounded to a complete halt.

…Belatedly, it occurred to the man that he was not alone in his musings. He wasn't even alone on the _bed_. He desperately tried to rack his sluggish mind, to remember what little he could recall during his last shreds of lucidity when he had been rescued. He had been unmounted from the wall, it had hurt a lot, he was delirious, he thought he saw a few shadowed, blurry figures moving around him purposefully…

And there was that blur of crimson and ochre, that tender nostalgic scent of the woman he loved, in all likelihood a hopeless hallucination brought on by his overwrought mind, trying to distract him from the trauma of his life threatening state of being.

 _This_ was not an illusion, though.

He went still; pain fogged lavender locking with slit pupiled gold. It felt like he had just been punched in the gut, his heart speeding up, his gaze hungrily drinking her in. The bright red of her hair, the gilded gold of her eyes. She looked good. Healthy. He had not thought that he would ever see her again.

She was perched on the edge of the cot he had been put in, and once she realized that he was awake, she wordlessly raised her hand and removed the bandage around her wrist. She lifted her forearm to her mouth and reopened the wound located there with a quick slash of her fangs. She brought the bleeding arm to his mouth…and suddenly, he was starting to realize why he had been able to heal so quickly that time back on the mountains…why he was still alive now.

She simply looked at him, her expression neutral.

" _Drink_."

He hesitated, and her schooled gaze hardened.

"Drink, _now_." The warning in her voice did not allow for him to ask questions, and more importantly, he did not want her to withdraw, to leave. And so even though he was still disconcerted, he quietly parted his mouth, and she pressed her bleeding wrist closer, subtly squeezing her fist to encourage the continuous flow of blood. The warm, ruby-like drops touched his lips, staining them a slick crimson, and his tongue darted out, tasting the metallic sweetness in the rich, musky quality of her blood…and after the first reluctant swallow, something…fascinating happened.

His body started to feel pleasantly warm, the way one did when too much wine or ale had been consumed. There was a dizzying, addictive intoxication as he lapped at the insides of her wrist tentatively, the rough pad of his tongue gently worrying the wound for _more_. A feeling of renewed strength…vitality, grew, and the sensation of weakness that encroached him started to recede. With each swallow, he could quite literally feel himself getting…better. _Healing._

Something like contentment unfurled in his stomach. Pleasure. His fingers twitched, his hand slowly reached up, almost reverently, curling around her arm, holding her close. His eyes, darkening, as the blood in his body started to react to her alluring _potency_. Yearning. Desire. Want. It wasn't a frenzied need for what her blood did to him, to possess her for her power and remarkable ability. It was a deep seated _ache_ to have her simply because her presence had always made his blood _sing_. He controlled himself from the instincts that raged at him to savage her, to give into the seductive call of her amazing gift, to take and to take and to take until she had no more left to give.

Calling up the will to cut himself off, his lips brushed softly against her sensitive wrist, a silent, flitting _kiss_ …before he pulled away resolutely from the enticing thrum of her blood. Her eyes flashed with heat at his tender, deliberate ministration, her cheeks flushing ever so faintly, and it seemed that her discomposure was not expected, for she appeared almost upset with herself for reacting to him. She started to retreat, but he refused to let go of her. They proceeded to have a small tug of war over her trapped limb; the healing property of her blood was apparently so effective that he could already afford to expand his previously flagging energy on ridiculous maneuvers, it seemed.

"What are you doing," she snapped, visibly aggravated. "Let go."

"No. If l let go, you're going to disappear on me again," he insisted with quiet conviction.

She glowered at him but did not deny the possibility of his words.

"Did you forget that I tried to kill you the last time around?"

His gaze softened at her disgruntlement. The myriad emotions that flickered across her face made him feel strangely happy. It was a far more welcome sight than her looking blankly and dispassionately at him.

"You didn't try very hard," he reminded her. She was starting to look a bit hassled, like she did not understand what he was trying to do. There was also a wariness on her face, and it… _hurt_ , how she no longer trusted him. "Rindou…we need to talk."

"No, we don't. We've nothing to talk about," she promptly responded. She was still trying to retract her limb, but he was just as determined to hang onto her.

"Yes, we do. Are you ever going to tell me that I've been _claimed_ by you?"

Her mouth fell open at his blunt question, but no words came out. She closed her mouth, then opened them again to try to reply.

"I-It's not- Who told you that?" she asked, trying to change the subject once more, becoming agitated. He did not respond to her question.

"I'm yours, aren't I?" he continued, calm as you please. "That's why you came back for me. You can't kill me any more than I can kill you."

She bared her fangs at him, not liking that he was trying to back her into a corner. "I made a mistake."

"Stay," he told her, ignoring her last declaration. "Please."

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to discern his motive, to find the subterfuge that hid his deceptive intent. She would fail to find any…mainly because there were none.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked at last.

"Isn't it obvious?" he responded steadily. "It's because you have my heart."

* * *

 _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Aight, so this is the last chapter of the prologue/world building for 'Dragon Heart,' which I had also informally titled 'Dragons, dragons everywhere,' lol.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

I had a lot of fun researching dragons for this chapter, by the way.

The Ryujin is the dragon god of Japan, commonly associated with agriculture, rain and the bounties of the ocean. I thought that the role would be fitting for Souma, what with his love for all kinds of food/ingredients and creating a huge splash everywhere he goes.

The Balaur is a Romanian dragon, with very large fins and multiple heads. Like hydras, when one head is slain, two more will grow in its place. I thought it fit Subaru (one of my favorite side characters in SnS by the way) very well because of the way he can take up the dispositions of his opponents so effortlessly – many heads, many personalities, right?

Wyverns are dragons with two legs and two wings. They are commonly depicted in medieval heraldry. In fact, there are many Italian noble houses who uses the wyvern as part of their coat of arms, a nod of recognition towards the Italian heritage of the Aldini brothers.

The Jörmungandr is the sea dragon in Norse mythology. It is the middle child of Loki, and is said to be able to grow so large that it could surround the earth and grasp its own tail. Sea dragon/sea serpent goes in line with Ryou's canon specialty which seems to be in dealing with seafood, as well as his place of origin in the Norway up in the northern hemisphere, the home of Norse mythos.

There will be more canon characters appearing on here; some human, some (more) dragon, some undefined yet.

Also there will exist secondary pairings like SoRina, RyoAli, and others undecided still, though those side-ships probably wouldn't be the main focus of the story.

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Please do let me know what you think of this series. I mean, I do have some ideas for this plot but if the storyline is not interesting enough for some reason or it's not being too well received, then I'd rather just shelve this idea for now and focus my energy on other projects first. Thanks for sharing your feedback/commentaries!

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Dragon Heart

 **Author:** sllebswap

 **Characters/Pairing:** Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi

 **Type:** Continuous (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/General/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3528

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Shokugeki no Souma belongs to Tsukuda-san.

 **Summary:** It is believed that the heart of a dragon, if consumed whole, would grant the one who ate it incredible powers and immortality. So, by order of King Azami, Sir Knight Tsukasa Eishi had been sent to find that dragon and acquire its heart, by any means necessary.

 **Verse:** Fantasy Medieval AU

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 21/10/18

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

When Eishi woke again, he found himself a lot better - he could even sit up on his own.

His healing wounds protested dully at his jarring actions, but other than that, they were not aggravated to the point of becoming worse. His stirring attracted the attention of the young man who had been quite boredly watching him, lounging on a chair by the side of the bed. The other male was short but lean, with slanted, glowing brown eyes and unusual bi-colored hair that were wild and spiky. His long, tousled bangs were a bright minted gold, whereas the rest of his hair was an equally messy dark brown. He was dressed richly in an exotic attire that did not mark him as local citizenry… Quite frankly, Eishi had never seen him before.

More distressingly, a quick, hurried glance around promptly revealed that Rindou was nowhere in the vicinity. He hadn't intended to fall asleep earlier, not with so many things still left unsaid between them, but his overwrought, overextended body had desperately needed the downtime to recuperate and he had ended up slipping into unconsciousness before he could even get to speak to her properly.

To explain. To apologize.

 _Was she already gone?_

No matter, Eishi was determined that their encounter was not going to end the way it had the last time around. He was going to find her; she could not keep running away from him for the rest of their lives.

But first, Eishi warily regarded the stranger in the room.

"Who are you…?"

The man…there was a feeling that was somewhat… _uncanny_ about his presence, though by now Eishi could more or less tell what that meant. He was likely _not_ human, then. The younger male did not respond to his question, but merely took to his feet and stretched a bit.

"I'll let Rindou know that yer awake," he uttered, before sauntering off.

The next person that came in was a familiar face…though not one whom Eishi had entirely expected to see.

Isshiki Satoshi was also a member of the Prince Consort's inner circle, and last he heard, the other knight had been deployed back to his family lands in the east to deal with the insurgents there.

"You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Tsukasa-san," the brunet remarked, his crystal blue eyes twinkling with airy amusement as he strode into the room. The slightly taller male was still equipped in his battle gear, and he looked fairly windswept and dusty from travel. "It's good to see you alive. I was sent here to check on you by the palace. They were getting a tad concerned since you haven't reported in for days, and we were informed that your lands were besieged by enemies front and back."

Eishi grimaced at the reminder. "Yes, we were busy quelling the rebellion here. You've my apologies and gratitude for making this trip when your territories are similarly troubled, Isshiki-san."

The other knight waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.

"It's fine. The rebellion back home has been mostly squashed, so I was able to form up with a few other allies and assist the others as an independent marauding unit. I'm very impressed that you managed to hold out against five clans coming at you at the same time. The House of Tsukasa is formidable, indeed. When we came riding in with reinforcements, most of those troops were already withdrawing. We only had to rout them the rest of the way and make sure they dispersed accordingly."

"His Royal Highness has also given the order that we deal with these treacherous houses decisively, so I'll be riding out again soon to pay them a visit-"

Something very feral flickered in those cyan blue irises then, betraying the bestial nature that usually slumbered unobtrusively deep within the other man's pleasantly cordial psyche. Sometimes, it still surprised Eishi that there actually existed quite a few noble houses within Tootsuki with dragonic bloodlines flowing through them.

"I'll join you," he told Satoshi. "I'd like to see this matter to its conclusion."

It wasn't a request, despite the way Eishi worded it. The Isshiki scion gave his fellow compatriot a contemplative look.

"…While I have no opinion on your participation in the raids, I don't think that lovely Queen who has been watching over you would take kindly to your decision to fling yourself back into battle, especially considering your current state of being."

Eishi paused at that telling comment.

"You've seen Rindou?"

"Yes." And like Prince Consort Souma had once done, the brunet simply tapped his nose. "I can also smell her claim on you. Unrisen Queens are extremely rare, so when we come across one, most of us take notice."

There was something subtly telling about Isshiki's interest in Rindou. The heir of the House of Isshiki had yet to welcome a bride into the family, though it was rumored that the young man was engaged to the daughter of another noble house of like repute. Eishi's expression was schooled as he eyed the other knight, but the tension in him eased at the unspoken implication that _she was still here_. She hadn't taken flight from him yet.

"…Be that as it may, I still have a duty to Tootsuki that I cannot shirk," the white-haired knight responded with stoic insistence. "So long as I am alive and able bodied, I'm oath bound to defend the Kingdom at all costs."

His honor as a knight commander and a member of the House of Tsukasa would allow for no compromise when it came to his patriotic obligations…no matter his personal opinions, no matter if his private life was a complete mess at the moment.

Satoshi seemed silently impressed by his quiet resolve. It wasn't like the other knight particularly enjoyed the entire process of battle and bloodshed the way some of their other compatriots did – come to think of it, Satoshi didn't think that he had ever seen Eishi exhibiting any expression of interest for as long as he had known the older male. He had always been quiet; reserved but dutiful, the kind to keep his own counsel and so it had been particularly difficult to read his intentions and motivations even back when the Kingdom was still subjected to King Azami's autocratic reign.

It had been a surprise to many when House Tsukasa silently shifted its political allegiance to back Queen Erina. But now, it was obvious that the move had not been made lightly, nor had it been an attempt to feign support towards the Queen's faction whilst biding time for her Sire to make his comeback. This allegiance was genuine in supporting the young Queen's rulership in leading the future of Tootsuki. If Satoshi still had any doubts previously, then they had all been swept away today. Riding into these vast, protected lands of the Tsukasa clan the day before, it was apparent that a hard, vicious battle had been fought here against old, once allies in order to protect their pride and honor as loyal vassals of the Queen.

If the Tsukasa had been insincere with their intentions, the outcome of this fight would have been very different.

"Are you sure?" Satoshi asked. "Many of those on the list are – _were_ – affiliated to your House in some way or form. I presumed that you'd rather not be directly involved."

If anything, those pale lavender eyes sharpened. He was quiet for a while…and then he carefully replied.

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. I'll make sure to be ready to leave when you are."

When he said it like that, it was clear that the man was determined to do his duty come what may.

"…You know, you're not entirely what I expected," Satoshi commented, faintly bemused. The knight did not elaborate however, and Eishi also did not ask. He started to sit up – grimacing slightly at the way his knitting wounds were tugging at the seams, and the heavy, dull ache of his body as it protested his stiff movements with displeasure. The white-haired man stoically bore through his discomfort and pushed himself fully upright, automatically flexing his arms and curling his toes, stretching out and systematically working over the jolting pain and complaints of his bruised and battered form.

He was already feeling so much better, compared to his half dead state of existence from a couple of days ago. His rate of recovery was downright miraculous…but this time around he was acutely aware of the source of his preternatural vitality.

"We head out tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I'll mosey on down to the barracks to see if I can round up some of your more able bodied men to patrol the lands around your homestead, just to make sure that those troublemakers have fully withdrawn from your immediate territory," Satoshi offered.

"…You've my thanks," Eishi replied. "Please freely avail yourself to the hospitality of my home."

"No need for all this formality," the brunet dispelled quite cheerfully. "When I got here, your Dragoness and her two friends were already settling in after throwing out the last of the invaders."

Eishi had to pause at that, his brow furrowing in careful thought. His mind was still working quite sluggishly.

"Rindou, and… _what_ two friends?"

The Isshiki scion looked vaguely amused again. He shrugged. "Other dragons. Impressive that they came to your aid considering their lack of affiliation to Tootsuki."

Rindou, Eishi knew _why_. She came for him. The thought sent a small burst of happiness through him, even as the rest of him was filled with thoughtful apprehension. _Two other dragons? Was that male he met earlier one of them?_

"Well, I'm off to patrol now. Would like to get that done before nightfall. I'll report my findings later, Tsukasa-san."

Satoshi turned to leave, though on his way out, he bumped into the redhead in question. She stared at him with a sharp gaze, but the younger dragon only seemed vaguely amused by her wariness. He sketched a bow to her.

"Excuse me, my fair lady~"

Rindou watched him until he left the room, and then she fixed her attention to the only other occupant left.

Eishi was pushing his covers away in the painstaking process of lowering his legs to rest on the floor. It was a fairly challenging task in light of his recuperating injuries.

"What are you doing?"

He looked at her, once again happy to see her. In contrast, she did not look as pleased, unfortunately. The dragoness ventured deeper into his chamber, coming to a stop at last, just slightly out of his reach.

"Rindou. I thought that you might have already left."

She crossed her arms before her chest almost defensively. "Is that what you want?"

He shook his head, and there was no disguising that quiet wave of longing in his gaze. She was almost close enough for him to _touch_.

"No. I _want_ you to stay."

She did not reply to that, and changed the subject.

"What are you doing?" she repeated her question anew.

He was trying to stand, but his legs still weren't being very cooperative, and he grimaced again. Still, his arms were strong enough to support his endeavor, and he heaved himself onto his feet, albeit shakily. The sudden movement disoriented him, and his mind blanked for a moment, swaying dizzily, limbs trembling from the effort to remain upright, and he stilled, eyes shut, struggling to regain his equilibrium. It was mortifying, how she was always around to see him at his weakest, most helpless moments.

Despite her aloofness, she was beside him in a flash, pressing into his side to keep him standing when he started to list alarmingly.

"Why are you like this," she demanded, scowling at his obstinacy. "You're going to undo all the work I did to keep you alive."

He leaned heavily into her, turning towards her now that she was within reach. His hand came up, fingers curling around her slender wrist, seeking her attention. Even in his current state, sparks ignited at that touch. Their gazes met and held.

"You're always saving me," he uttered plainly, willing her to recognize his sincerity. "Thank you."

She did not appear impressed. If anything, her glare worsened. It was almost enough to petrify flesh.

"You're an _idiot_ ," she snapped, her voice harsh with genuine anger. "What manner of fool rides straight into a trap he knows has been set for him?"

He stared at her, wordlessly surprised by her sharp vehemence.

"…Were you worried? For…me?" he asked, and he could not help sounding just a bit hopeful, too. She did _still_ care.

Her eyes flashed…right before she _jabbed_ him punishingly in the chest right where his wound was still healing.

His vision turned white as searing pain rippled through him, and by the time he stopped wheezing from the trauma, he found himself tossed unceremoniously back into bed once more and she was staring down at him nonchalantly.

"Delirious and injured humans should just be quiet and rest," she decreed irritably. She certainly wasn't in the mood to play angelic bedside nursemaid with him. In fact, he should count himself lucky she hadn't just dumped him on the floor and left him to flounder there.

Alright; so perhaps he had deserved her wrathful treatment, he thought ruefully. He obviously wasn't her most favorite person at the moment.

…Then again, he also could not help but notice that she had not denied his words.

"…I was buying time."

"What?"

"The villagers," he explained. "They needed more time to evacuate to safety. If I don't do that much at least, all would be lost."

The Tsukasa estate was vast, the lands rich and prosperous. As its Lord, he was acutely aware of his responsibility to his homestead, including the great number of lives who lived under the protection of his House. He was also explicably familiar with the carnage and savagery that would befall his people if he turned his back on them to save himself instead. The deliberate, coordinated attacks from those whom he had once thought of as allies had descended upon them so quickly and suddenly, setting himself up as decoy even when he _knew_ that was exactly where the enemies had wanted him had been the only viable option at the time.

"I expected that the Grand Palace would be sending relief troops from neighboring vassals eventually. If I could hold out until the cavalry arrived, then it would still be my victory, with minimal losses."

Rindou frowned at the wounded man. He was still so injured he could barely stand, even with the elixir of her blood.

"This kind of victory; is it worth?"

Eishi just looked at her.

"Yes." There was no hesitation at all in his response. "I'm tired of seeing people die."

She was quiet for a long time.

Once again, he reached out, his fingers brushing the back of her hand, catching her attention.

"…So, thank you, Rindou. For protecting what's important to me."

For one brief moment, she looked like a startled deer caught in headlights…and then she started to scowl a little.

"I don't need your thanks," she muttered, pulling her hand away. She broke their eye contact. Her fingers drifted to her bandaged wrist, and she started to undo the dressing.

"What are you doing?"

She eyed him warily. "What does it look like I'm doing."

Comprehension occurred to him. He had seen her do the same thing the last time around when-

"Wait. Stop," he interrupted once more before she could unravel the rest of the gauze wrapping. He struggled to sit up. " _Stop_."

She paused.

"Are you going to…make yourself bleed again…?" he asked softly.

That caginess in her eyes grew. "Now that you know the truth. Are you disgusted?"

He frowned at her question.

"That's not it. I'm grateful that you came and saved me, _but not like this_."

She became a little less defensive.

"It's just blood."

His gaze sharpened at her nonchalance.

"No," he refuted very softly. "I know it's more than that, Rindou."

The heart of a dragon grants immortality…at the expense of the dragon's life. And now that he learned that the blood of a dragon grants accelerated healing and increased vitality, Eishi was not so naïve to believe that the price to pay for such miraculous properties would be as simple as a passing toll of blood.

The dragoness eyed him with silent speculation, but did not refute him. Her fingers fell away from her bandaged wrist and she straightened.

"…Suit yourself."

He nodded, easing at her acquiescence.

" _I will not take your blood again."_

Something flickered in her gaze at his vehemence.

"As you wish. There's no need for me to be here anymore."

Her statement garnered an immediate reaction. His head lifted quickly. "…I never said that," he refuted, starting to look just a bit alarmed. Here he was, still far from healed, and if she insisted on taking flight, there wasn't much he could do to convince her otherwise.

"On the contrary, your presence is very much required, so you _must_ stay."

She cocked her head at his frazzled insistence.

"Why?" she asked at last, repeating her words. "You don't need me."

He shook his head and repeated himself too, firmly.

"I never said that."

She started to glower crossly at his subterfuge. "Then what are you trying to say."

 _I need you to stay because I cannot protect you if you are not here,_ he thought. _I need you to stay because I cannot make things right if you are not here._

 _I need you to stay because you are my Dragon Heart, and I need you._

But he couldn't just blurt that out, because then she would really _run_.

"Come back with me to the Capital," he told her.

Her brow furrowed even more.

" _Huh_?"

"We've dragon allies in Tootsuki too," he continued, warming up to the impromptu idea. "Things are…changing," he added slowly. "It'd be good if it continues to change."

He tried not to be too eager, lest he spooked her. But still…

"… _And_ …I hope you'll give me the chance to show them to you…all those things we once spoke about."

She stiffened slightly at his careful, tentative reference to their shared past.

"There's no need for that. We're already intending to travel to the Capital even without your suggestion," she replied, changing the subject and very determined to ignore what she could ignore.

Her being distant was not anything he did not expect, but it still caused a dull _ache_ all the same. He pushed away that desolate feeling, and decided to be happy with what she had just revealed instead, but-

"We?"

She shrugged. "My companions have business there."

Oh. Her companions.

"The other dragons?" He briefly recalled that youth with the gold and brunette hair once again, just earlier. So he was right; that fanged male was likely one of them; he had given off an upsetting, feral vibe that Eishi was learning to associate with the legendary reptiles. He wondered how she had ended up with them. He wanted to ask where she had gone the last year or so, he wanted to ask about the things she had seen, the places she had been. Had she at least fulfilled some of her yearnings through her travels?

She had spoken so longingly when she had still been living up in the Alps, and she had been so thrilled and happy when she realized that he had traveled to distant lands and had seen so many strange, wondrous sights. Her eyes had sparkled with excitement and pleasure as she looked to him eagerly to hear his experiences, and when he begun to think about _how_ those exotic and faraway places and lands would look like reflected through her bright, bright eyes, he should have realized the truth then. _She was special_.

He wondered if she would ever look at him like that again, smiling, cheeks glowing softly, her golden eyes glimmering with impish affection and happiness. The mere thought was depressing with how she would rather avoid him now if she could, but this time he was determined not to be defeated by his own pessimism. She was here at present; that was all that mattered. He had been given a second chance. He would just have to keep _trying_. Even if she did not want anything to do with him right now, he was just going to have to find ways to coax her to look at him again.

"Will you tell me about your plans? I can make the arrangements if you're seeking to enter the Capital. The Capital is on high alert right now, so it would not be easy for foreign parties to enter its walls."

Her gold slit gaze narrowed at his offer.

"…You want to keep us close," she deadpanned. "Are you afraid that we're planning to do bad things to Tootsuki?"

"I want to keep _you_ close," he corrected quietly. _I want to keep you safe._

"... _Don't_ …go anywhere I can't follow, Rindou."

* * *

 _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 **Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:**

Not very sure if anyone is actually still expecting this series to go anywhere, but here's an update anyway! Hope you enjoyed!

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And more dragons appear! Yep, Isshiki is one of them dragons too, and so is Kuga, haha. Which type/species are they, you ask? Care to hazard a guess?

At any rate, more will be revealed in the next chapter! :)

 **xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap


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